Solving Stephen Gonsalves

I watched Gonsalves pitch a couple games last year. His fastball always seemed high and outside. Which led to many of his walks. Although shown as 90/91 mph, he frequently threw it in the upper 80's.

His changeup seemed to be his strikeout pitch. I don't remember him having any control issues with it.

The curveball/slider pitch  didn't appear to be an exceptional pitch, but batters were not hitting it hard. Again he didn't appear to have any control issues with the breaking ball. 

To be fair, we don't know what was addressed 3 years ago. I doubt the development people simply ignored them. Whether they targeted the right things is certainly fair to ask... On the flip side, most of these guys are gone now... so I think we have to cut the new guys some slack in that they get what they've inherited....

 

Also, we forget that Gonsalves was a 4th round pick. There are definitely reasons for his fall to that outside of issues such as potential, but those picks generally indicate that there are more question marks needing addressing and that he is less of a sure thing. I don't have too much of an issue with the Twins measured approach with him. He got results, but we all saw the BB peripheral in particular and knew full well that patient ML hitters will exploit that... and it reared it's ugly head at the ML level. I suspect he will spend some time in Minnesota this summer... and yes, I hope the FO has some good plans to fix him. 

It is true that this was mostly the previous front office, but not all of it.  In addition, the current front office is repeating most of the previous groups actions.

As far as not knowing what was addressed, true.  But again, whatever was addressed and how htey did it failed.  

That this is a common result for Twins prospects has to be troubling.

How do you solve a problem like Gonsalves?

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

How do you find a word that means Gonsalves?

A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!…

Good information.

 

But, then, it makes the real question pop out all the more.

 

What have the Twins been doing with Gonsalves all of these years for him to arrive at the major league level with all of these weaknesses? It isn't as if Gonsalves is a 20 year old guy rushed to the major leagues. In fact, the Twins have been very patient with him as the following career path demonstrates:

 

2013 Gulf Coast (Rookie)/Elizabethton(Rookie)

2014 Elizabethton(Rookie)/Cedar Rapids (A)

2015 Cedar Rapids (A)/Ft Myers (A+)

2016 Ft Myers (A+)/Chattanooga (AA)

2017 Chattanooga (AA)/Rochester (AAA)

2018 Chattanooga(AA)/Rochester(AAA)/Minnesota

 

Gonsalves was statistically succesful at every level. His career ERA is below 2.50 at every level up to AA, and it is 3.44 in AAA when you include his 2017 AAA exposure that wasn't his best.

 

Yet, despite this success at every level, Gonsalves repeated the level he was to start every season of his minor league career, with the exception of 2017 where his unsuccessful stint at AAA made the Twins start him back in AA again.

 

Gonsalves is 24 years old, and even though I am an advocate of agressive prospect promotion, I agree that there are some players like him that require a more measured approach.

 

But, I will ask the question again: What has the Twins organization been doing with him since 2013 for him to be so in need of further work? If the Twins followed my approach and moved him through the minors more agressively and he reached the majors with some of these issues it might be understandable. Maybe he will, as the author suggests, reach his potential 2-3 years from now bouncing back and forth between MN and AAA. And for some guys that works. But that seems to be the default plan for the Twins which is another reason why we are in the position we are in.

Very salient points all the way around!

My only disagreement is your comment on 2-3yrs before he steps to the forefront.

He has learned and made adjustments at every level he has been at. Yes, there have been hiccups, and the BB for a time last season was alarming. But what did he do yet again? He made adjustments and found himself. I often find it amusing when a pitching prospect reaches the ML level, like Berrios as an example, and struggles initially, and some claim he's automatically a bust of some sort. I think Gonsalves will be up in 2019, will improve, and could be a fixture by 2020.

That being said, I honestly think Thorpe is an even better option. Here's hoping both are part of the 2020 roation.

Very salient points all the way around!

My only disagreement is your comment on 2-3yrs before he steps to the forefront.

He has learned and made adjustments at every level he has been at. Yes, there have been hiccups, and the BB for a time last season was alarming. But what did he do yet again? He made adjustments and found himself. I often find it amusing when a pitching prospect reaches the ML level, like Berrios as an example, and struggles initially, and some claim he's automatically a bust of some sort. I think Gonsalves will be up in 2019, will improve, and could be a fixture by 2020.

That being said, I honestly think Thorpe is an even better option. Here's hoping both are part of the 2020 roation.

I'm not giving up on Gonsalves yet and I think he'll improve in 2019, but the question is how much? He just doesn't seem to have the stuff. The Twins have other options so if he's valued as a throw in for a trade no big loss. I agree Thorpe is probably a much better lefty option who is getting close. Certainly has much better stuff.

I'm not giving up on Gonsalves yet and I think he'll improve in 2019, but the question is how much? He just doesn't seem to have the stuff. The Twins have other options so if he's valued as a throw in for a trade no big loss. I agree Thorpe is probably a much better lefty option who is getting close. Certainly has much better stuff.

Right with you there on Thorpe. Everything from his early performance to post injury/illness performance and pure stuff tells me he is for real.

But if his debut stinks, do we proclaim he was over-hyped? Remember, Gibson had a bad debut. Then he had 2 really solid seasons on bad teams. Then he really found himself after a season and a half. Berrios really struggled on his initiation to MLB and now looks like a true #1-2 with time. Gonsalves has done nothing but adapt and produce at every level. He even adapted and produced his last few "primary starts" in 2018. He is long, lanky, LH, and has struggled with repeated delivery at times. He has also shown adaptability and pitchability at every level. So a so-so ROOKIE appearance at the ML level has convinced some he doesn't have the stuff to make it?

My goodness, can't we just let time, experience and new pitching coach Johnson just work through some things before we just say he can't make it? Ridiculous to dismiss Gonsalves at this point after a brief so-so debu6 simply because he doesn't have some singular dominating pitch.

Tweaks and experience along with opportunity, it's not hard to see Gonsalves, Thorpe and Berrios as part of the 2020 staff along with Romero and Mejia, even though a pen option remains.

1.  The Berrios, Franks Viola, and the comments about debut's stinking is why I favor rushing prospects in a rebuilding environment.   Get them up quicker so you can be more patient with their initial exposure to major league competition.  Since you are losing games anyways, why not.   It took Frank Viola two year of poor pitching and ERA's above 5.00 to become Frankie Viola, WS MVP and Cy Young candidate/winner.  But because he did not spend much time in the minors and the team was truly competitive, they could afford to keep putting him out there.  The Twins are in the same position now.

2.  All of these glowing reports on Lewis Thorpe, I must have watched him pitch his poorest games of his career. When I have seen him his fastball wasn't anything special and his command of secondary pitches non-existent.  He also looked remarkably unathletic and botched plays in the field.  Then I see his overall stats and his reviews,  and wonder how he is the same guy